Joel Polanco, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Massachusetts 2021

BOSTON – In a brazen display of disregard for the law, Joel Polanco, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to possessing a 10 mm Glock pistol while a convicted felon, according to a recent federal court filing.

The incident occurred on October 2020, when police responded to the area of Snow and Cherry Streets in Fitchburg following a report of a person suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. A witness reported seeing someone fitting Polanco’s description shoot the victim. In addition, surveillance videos showed a person fitting Polanco’s description carrying what appeared to be the black fanny-pack and holding an item in his hand that appeared to be a gun.

Polanco shot the victim using a 10 mm Glock pistol which was later recovered from a black fanny-pack in the area of Snow Street. Despite being convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition and distribution of cocaine base in March 2011, Polanco is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Polanco was charged by criminal complaint in December 2020 and subsequently indicted in January 2021. He will be sentenced on September 12, 2022, according to U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division, and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernst Martineau made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Bennett of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the federal government’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

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